Chapter 2

I let out a small laugh. After holding everything in for so long, a rare hint of genuine joy crept onto my face.

"I'm not doing anything but letting you come after me over and over. When will you get what you want? Now that I'm helping you out, you should be thanking me. Go ahead and cry to Caleb. Just don't act all clingy and helpless. He prefers girls who are lively and fun."

Kayla trembled from the pain, her whole body convulsing as she got to her feet and pointed at me. "Lily Preston, just you wait!"

After she left, I didn't even have the strength to make it home. I collapsed hard in the studio's main room, blood dripping from my nose and mouth.

So when Caleb stormed in, I hadn't even cleaned myself up yet.

He froze, clearly shocked.

"What happened to you?"

The anger in his eyes softened for a moment, like he actually cared.

I shrugged off his hand and let out a bitter laugh.

"It's just the heat and stress getting to me. Your woman stirred me up, so I'm a little out of sorts and got a nosebleed. Nothing serious."

Caleb's face darkened. He seemed furious at the fact that he'd just been worried about me. So when he spoke again, his voice carried a sharp edge.

"Lily, you threw hot tea at a young woman. Don't tell me you're just jealous."

My expression didn't change, but Caleb's eyes reflected someone pale and worn down.

"For who? You? Ha. Caleb, don't make me laugh. Who do you think you are?"

He stared at me coldly, not saying a word for a long time. Then he suddenly chuckled, a sound full of regret and shame.

"Fine. You injured Kayla. Now you better go apologize properly, or you're going to lose your studio."

What Caleb didn't know was that I'd already sold the studio.

The wealthy and arrogant Caleb Spencer was no longer the cautious man who treated me like a treasure. Now, everything he once protected had become weapons he could use against me.

But I was dying anyway.

"Alright, Caleb. You better hurry, then."

Caleb looked at me, confused. He didn't understand what I meant.

I shrugged and pointed toward the door. "But right now, I'm still the one calling the shots here. So get out. Go home and take good care of Kayla. I feel sorry just looking at that pretty little burned face of hers."

Caleb trembled with anger.

"Lily, don't be so stubborn. Just admit defeat once. Would it kill you to do that?"

I thought about it seriously for a moment.

"Yeah, it could kill me. Admitting defeat is easy, if only I still loved you. But Caleb, after all these years of tearing each other apart, do you really think I love you anymore?"

Maybe my words cut too deep, or maybe Caleb never really believed I could stop loving him.

He fled in panic, even stumbling on his way out.

I watched him go with calm detachment, realizing my heart no longer stirred at anything he did.

I guessed that for one's heart to feel nothing, it had to be broken beyond repair.

-

I packed my things and went to Haley's house.

The villa was spotless, like a showroom. There was no trace of me anywhere.

Haley stared at the webpage filled with everything about my condition, tears spilling onto the keyboard before she could stop them.

"Are you really going to donate your organs?"

I sat cross-legged on the couch, absentmindedly playing with her little dog, and replied softly, "Yeah. If the organs that still work can help extend the lives of people who are truly loved, then that's something good I can leave behind."

"But..."

Haley's sobs caught in her throat. She knew once I made up my mind, there was no turning back.

I looked up and smiled. "Haley, what do you think you'd be like if you'd never met me abroad all those years ago?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. After a long moment, she still didn't say anything.

I knew that once I asked that, she wouldn't try to stop me anymore.

I saved her life, and she knew that very well.

But I also saved Caleb's life, and he had no idea.

-

Ten years ago, I met 18-year-old Caleb for the first time. At that time, he hadn't been accepted back by the Spencer family yet. He trailed behind his mom, sneaking glances and smiling at me.

Before long, we naturally fell in love.

We went to school together, went home together, studied together—just like any young couple.

I was a year older and had repeated a grade, so I wasn't ready to show off our relationship in public.

Every time that happened, Caleb would grab my hand firmly and introduce me to anyone who asked. "She's my girlfriend."

Caleb was brilliant and had good grades, and even the teachers couldn't do anything about him. They could only tap his forehead with a finger and scold him with a smile.

Eventually, we got into the same college and spent the best four years of our lives together.

If my family hadn't fallen apart and if Caleb hadn't faced his own battles, maybe that happiness could've lasted.

My dad died of a rare genetic disease not long after I was born.

My mom ran the family business alone. She was a talented painter but gave up her career to be there for me, giving me all the love and support she could.

I used to think my happiness would last forever.

The first time I had a nosebleed, I was supposed to meet Caleb for a day out.

My mom rushed me to the hospital in a panic. I didn't know what the doctor told her. I only saw her from a distance, crying so hard she could barely stay on her feet.

I didn't have my phone with me, so I couldn't get in touch with Caleb.

By the time I made it to our meeting spot, the amusement park gates were already closed. But that idiot was still there, standing under a big tree by the entrance, holding a Mickey Mouse balloon headband.

I was about to walk over to him when I noticed someone not far off, carrying a baseball bat, slowly closing in on him.

I'd seen those guys stalking Caleb before, more times than I could count. But since they hadn't actually hurt him, the police wouldn't get involved.

Besides, I had no proof.

"I've already called the police."

I had no idea where the courage came from, but I stepped in front of them.

In truth, I hadn't even brought my phone.

And in the distance, I saw Caleb turning away, shoulders slumped, walking in the opposite direction.

The group got furious and took out all their anger on me.

That was the first time I found out how much it actually hurt when one got hit with a baseball bat.

If it weren't for the sudden gush of blood spraying from my nose and mouth that scared them off, I couldn't imagine what could have happened.

I should be grateful they weren't after me, and even more grateful I was standing between them and Caleb.

When strangers finally helped me into the hospital, covered in bruises and cuts, I finally learned the truth—I'd inherited my dad's disease.

It was a devastating blow that nearly broke me.

I wouldn't live past 30 either.

-

During that time, I acted like nothing was wrong. I focused on finishing my studies and graduating with Caleb. When he asked about what happened, I just told him I'd had a sudden fever.

But just when things couldn't get worse, my family's company came under attack.

Almost overnight, it was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.

At the same time, I hid the truth from everyone and checked myself back into the hospital.

Then Caleb's biological father showed up, holding a check for ten million dollars.

"Leave Caleb. I'm taking him and his mother back to the Spencer family. With your condition, how could you possibly be good enough for him?"

It turned out the man following Caleb around was his second uncle. He was childless and hungry for power. He wanted to get rid of the only adult Spencer family heir who had been living outside.

"If you don't want your company to collapse, you'd better do as you're told. Otherwise, I'm sure you've already seen what the consequences will be."

Mom went crazy. She tore the check to pieces and threw them right in the man's face, then pushed him out of the hospital room with all her strength.

I yanked out my IV and stumbled after them, but all I saw was my mom and the man struggling near the stairs—and then she fell.

She hit the ground hard and didn't move.

I stood frozen at the top of the stairs.

Caleb's father laughed coldly and sneered, "The cameras caught everything. She fell on her own. Consider that ten million dollars your compensation. Take the money and get lost."

After that, I rejected every call from Caleb for a long time.

Until his birthday, when the Spencer family threw him a huge party.

I showed up with a middle-aged man I'd rented online.

In front of everyone, I smiled at Caleb and said, "You're just an illegitimate child who can't control his own life. What can you give me? Caleb, we're done."

He dropped to his knees and begged me not to leave.

Those painful tears mixed with my mother's blood.

I gave him a cold, sideways glance.

"You're disgusting."

-

Caleb showed up at a business gala with Kayla.

Kayla wore the necklace I designed, her arm hooked around Caleb's as she smiled and chatted with everyone like she belonged.

The event was covered live by all the major news outlets.

The next day, stories about the two of them topped the front page. However, the hottest topic wasn't their relationship.

It was the necklace.

Before long, someone figured out I was the designer.

For a while, rumors about Kayla's imminent rise to power spread like wildfire. Some people even came to my studio, taunting me for shamelessly clinging to the title of Caleb’s wife.

Then Kayla strutted into my studio, completely unfazed by all the eyes on her.

She slammed a contract down in front of me, smiling wickedly.

"Lily, this studio belongs to me now, so I suggest you pack up and get out. Right away."

I froze.

Then I bent down and picked up the contract. To my shock, the person who signed the contract with me had already transferred the studio to Kayla, and the payment for it had come straight from the Spencer family's business account.

So blatant—I knew it was Caleb showing off just to spite me.

I smiled bitterly.

"Fine. I'll pack my things."

I reached for my mom's unfinished work, packed and ready to go.

"Wait."

Kayla smiled, pressing a hand down on my drawing board, her eyes sharp and mocking.

"The contract's clear. You have to leave this painting here, Mrs. Spencer."

She emphasized those last two words with heavy sarcasm.

I looked up and gave her a cold glare.

"That painting's useless to you. I can refund part of your money."

"No way!"

At that moment, Caleb pushed the door open and walked in. With his permission, the reporters outside also flooded into the studio.

"Lily, I don't need your little bit of money. But if you want to keep your mom's painting, you'd better beg me!"

I sneered and stepped toward him. Right there, in front of everyone, I slapped him hard across the face.

"Caleb, you're disgusting."

His face darkened instantly. He grabbed my neck, squeezing tight.

"What did you say? Say that again, Lily."

I smirked and met his eyes without flinching.

"I said you're disgusting."

Kayla screamed and rushed over, pushing me aside.

"Lily, you just slapped Caleb in front of everyone! What about his dignity? You hurt him like this before, and now you're doing it again."

As she spoke, she urgently reached out to touch Caleb's cheek, her eyes full of concern as she checked him carefully.

I had no interest in watching their little show. Besides, I was the one being humiliated here, not Caleb.

I grabbed my mom's painting and started to leave, but Caleb blocked my way.

"I told you, you're not taking that painting."

I glared at him hard.

"What if I take it anyway?"

In the tense moment between us, Kayla suddenly pulled out a pair of scissors from who knows where and stabbed it right into the canvas.

I moved to stop her, but I was too late.

The canvas tore apart.

I bit down hard on my lower lip, barely holding myself back from breaking apart.

Before Kayla even realized what was happening, I grabbed the scissors by the tip and wrenched it out of her hand.

"Watch out!" Caleb shouted.

I wasn't sure if he was warning me or Kayla, but I didn't care.

Like a madwoman, I lunged at Kayla.

"Someone's trying to kill her!"

All the cameras and flashes were aimed at me, and the reporters erupted in gasps.

Caleb rushed forward to stop me, but I dodged him and swung the scissors toward Kayla's head.

The handle hit her nose, and blood sprayed out.

Kayla screamed, terrified.

But I didn't stop.

My mind was blank except for the torn painting and the memory of Mom's blood spilled on the floor in her last moments.

I wildly pummeled Kayla, beating her until she clutched her head and fled in disgrace.

Caleb couldn't take it anymore and held me firmly. "Lily Preston, enough! Are you crazy? When will you stop?"

"Never!"

I struggled desperately like a madwoman, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

"Caleb, why? Why do you get to treat me like this?"

My voice trembled, and my expression was wild with fury.

At that moment, it felt like every bit of pain I'd buried over the years exploded out of me.

Amid everyone's accusations, Kayla's curses, and Caleb's stunned helplessness, I suddenly felt sick.

So sick I couldn't hold it in.

I spat a mouthful of blood, splattering it all over Caleb's chest.

"Lily!" Caleb shouted.

Just then, Haley showed up. She pushed through the crowd and slapped Caleb hard across the face.

"Don't you touch her, you filthy, disgusting jerk!"

Then she wrapped her arms tightly around my trembling body and cried as she dialed 911.

The last thing I remember hearing was quiet whispers from the crowd.

"She's faking it, right? That bitter old hag who can't win his love will do anything."

-

It felt like a long, strange dream unfolding before me. I was back on our wedding day three years ago, standing before Caleb's father as he asked to speak with me privately.

"Can't believe you're back. Don't you have any shame at all?"

I looked at him coldly without a word.

Later, Caleb's father died in a car accident.

I watched it happen without a flicker of emotion.

An accident once, three years ago.

And again, three years later.

Everyone caught in this mess owed something to someone else.

Maybe it was best to just let it go.

I wouldn't be able to settle these debts in this life. Maybe next time around.

When I opened my eyes again, Haley was dozing in the chair beside my bed. Caleb stood by the window, his face bruised and his posture heavy with loneliness.

Hearing a noise, he turned around and his face lit up with surprise when he saw I was awake.

"You're awake!"

Then he stepped forward and reached out to take my hand. But Haley shoved him away sharply.

"Don't touch her. Lily thinks you're disgusting!"

To my shock, Caleb actually stayed still.

I looked him over carefully. The wounds on his face were a mix of fresh and old. It was clear Haley had hit him multiple times.

Then my eyes flicked to Haley. She was okay.

Funny how things changed. Now that I was close to dying, even Caleb was acting out of sorts.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

I knew the rumors about what happened at the studio must be awful. At a time like this, I thought he'd be with Kayla.

Caleb shifted cautiously closer, rolling up his sleeve and pulling open his collar. His skin was marked with a mess of red scratches, like someone had clawed at him.

"The women you saw me with? They were all just for show. It was an act to make you jealous. Kayla's been around only because she's your junior from your department. I always planned to use your studio to force you to back down in the end. But honestly, I never expected things to turn out like this."

Caleb's voice was choked with emotion, and I had to focus hard to catch every word clearly.

"They touched me, but I washed myself clean—over and over again. Lily, I'm not dirty. From the past until now, you're the only woman I've ever loved. That's never changed. I love you. But it's because I love you that I hate the pain you've caused me."

'I love you.'

Those three words made me freeze for a moment. It had been years since I last heard them, but now they only felt bitterly ironic.

I was dying. What use was this love to me now?

"I know," I said quietly.

Caleb blinked in surprise.

"I know it was all an act. But so what, Caleb? You've never really understood me or trusted me, have you? It's never been about those other women between us. Don't you get that even now?"

-

For the next few days, Caleb barely left my side.

Haley ignored him completely, but she watched his every move with cold suspicion.

Caleb had been searching for doctors everywhere, but the answers he found only seemed to break him more. His eyes were often bloodshot, and he looked visibly thinner.

"I want to go out for a walk," I told Haley, glancing at the bright sunshine streaming through the window.

Before Haley could answer, Caleb eagerly brought the wheelchair over to me.

"Let me take you outside."

I studied him for a moment, then smiled softly. With Haley's help, I settled into the wheelchair. The three of us made slow, awkward circles around the park in the middle of the block.

Out of nowhere, a messy-looking Kayla appeared. She stepped in front of us and blocked out way.

Then, she dropped to her knees.

"Lily, I really love Caleb. Please don't take him away. You're dying anyway! How can you be so cruel?"

People nearby started staring and whispering.

I said nothing, but Haley wasn't having it. She rushed foward and shoved Kayla hard.

"Who did you say was dying? Shut your mouth!"

Kayla stumbled backward, but her eyes never left mine. I saw her hand reach inside her coat.

I could have dodged it.

But I didn't.

When the knife suddenly plunged into me, I felt a strange kind of relief like never before.

Too bad it meant one less organ I could donate.

Screams tore through the park.

I slipped out of the wheelchair, my eyes drifting over the flowers, trees, birds, and the sky. It was the last thing I saw, the world frozen in a moment of quiet beauty.

Kayla was laughing. At first, her laugh was wild and terrifying, but slowly it faded away until I couldn't hear it anymore.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Caleb was screaming my name, frantic and loud.

Somehow, I knew I was laughing too.

Maybe it looked ugly.

But I was satisfied.

The ending wasn't perfect, but it wasn't all bad either.

I was never a good person, and I still hated Kayla. If I had to go, I might as well take her down with me.

Haley would take care of everything after I was gone.

I didn't have any regrets anymore.

It was just a shame, really. I had fallen in love with him from the very start, but we were never meant to be.

'If I ever get another chance at life, I hope we won't meet again.'

-

Extra: Caleb's POV

Lily was gone, and she didn't leave me with anything.

Haley had always treated me coldly, but she suddenly asked me after Lily died to go home and bring a change of clothes for her.

I didn't suspect a thing.

But when I got back to the villa, I realized everything of hers was gone. There wasn't even a single strand of hair left behind.

A crushing wave of panic hit me, and all I felt was despair.

By the time I got back to the hospital, they had already taken Lily's body for organ donation.

That was when I realised that Haley had sent me away on purpose.

I croaked out the question, "Why?"

She gave me a cold, cruel smile. "Because you don't deserve anything."

Her words left no doubt—I didn't deserve to stand by Lily as her husband in her final moments, nor was I worthy of holding onto her things as memories.

I wasn't even fit to say I loved her. Those words were nothing but a cruel joke, empty and hypocritical.

I collapsed in the hospital hallway, tears streaming down my face as I laughed and cried all at once. The pain inside me was raw and unbearable, tearing through my heart like nothing else ever could.

When Haley left, she tossed me a letter.

There was only a short paragraph on it.

[Your father killed my mother, and I killed him. I'm sorry. I did love you, but I also used you to get revenge on him.]

I finally began to understand the past I had always avoided, starting from that fateful date at the amusement park and stretching all the way to now.

All the facts were never deliberately hidden, but I ignored them because of my own selfishness.

I suddenly realized that I had never truly understood what Lily meant by her last words.

The weight of regret crushed me, but there was nothing I could do.

Clutching the letter, I got in my car and sped onto the highway. I crashed through the guardrail and plunged into the vast, endless sea.

Finally, I was free.

'In my next life, I promise I'll find you again and love you with everything I have.'